CN1935446B

CN1935446B - Lightweight bicycle wheel rim and method for producing it

Info

Publication number: CN1935446B
Application number: CN200610159807.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 威廉·B·舒克
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-09-23
Filing date: 2006-09-22
Publication date: 2012-07-04
Anticipated expiration: 2026-09-22
Also published as: US7555838B2; TWI316008B; CN1935446A; US20070067993A1; TW200726569A; DE102006044338A1

Abstract

A method for producing a bicycle wheel rim is disclosed. The method involves extruding a thin-walled, hollow body having the cross-sectional shape of the rim and an integral external tab. The walls of the hollow body are sufficiently thin that a length of the hollow body without the external tab is subject to buckling when roll formed to produce a rim. The tab is so positioned and sized that the hollow body with the integral external tab is not subject to buckling when roll formed. A portion of the extrusion is then rolled to a circular shape; the circular portion is cut from the extrusion; the free ends are connected, and the external tab is removed from the circular portion of the extrusion.

Description

The bicycle flange of lightweight and manufacturing approach thereof

Technical field

The present invention relates generally to the wheel rim that is used for manpower transportation such as bicycle, wheelchair etc., and relates to the light high performance wheel and the manufacturing approach thereof of the lightweight wheel rim with the depth cross section that has thin-walled particularly.

Background technology

People have been placed on a large amount of effort and have alleviated manpower wheel rim weight, especially bicycle flange aspect.Bicycle flange has the linear extrusion with the corresponding cross section of finished product wheel rim through extruding aluminium alloy etc. with formation usually, and extrusion is rolled into circle, the length of cutting extrusion and with pin, plug or the production of weld seam connection free end.At dark V-arrangement, under the air wheel rim situation, curling of linear extrusion applies huge power to extrusion.These power head and shoulders above the finished product wheel rim as the power that must bear on the bicycle.Therefore, the thickness of wheel rim wall is often greater than as the desired thickness of bicycle flange.The typical wheel rim sidewall thickness of bicycle flange often is 1mm for the V-arrangement wheel rim at least, and is thicker for deep-section.The thickness that requires sidewall twists in the curved linear extrusion process when the crimp operation to prevent sidewall.

The U.S. Patent application that is published on August 26th, 2004 discloses US2004/0163255 number and has disclosed a kind of method that is used to make the dark V-arrangement of lightweight thin-walled cross section wheel rim, and it is through at first pushing the rim section of sidewall than institute's wheel rim side thickness that requires and weight.This extrusion can curl into wheel rim and sidewall is non-warping and then from sidewall, for example use the flap wheel polishing to remove unnecessary material.But this method works and has some shortcomings, the for example inaccuracy of sidewall thickness and processing charges control.

European patent the 0715001st has disclosed a kind of technology that is used to produce bicycle flange, and it comprises the production of linear extrusion, the curling of extrusion, the cutting of extrusion length and engage free end and form the wheel rim blank.The wall thickness of wheel rim blank has exceeded the desired wall thickness of finished product wheel rim and the wheel rim blank has been immersed corrosive chemical to remove metal from wheel rim up to reaching desired wall thickness.Then with wheel rim blank flushing, immerse neutral solution, wash again and dry.This method has usually reduced the thickness of wheel rim blank wall equably on a small quantity.

United States Patent (USP) the 5th, 651 has disclosed a kind of bicycle flange No. 591, and it has the lower limb or the wheel rim substrate of the thickness of about 0.7mm.According to this patent, the wheel rim blank is used sidewall thicker than final size (wing) and lower edge (following bridge) extruding.Curl at extrusion, cutting and engage after, to reduce the thickness of the wing and bridge equably, perhaps machining is with the thickness of bridge under reducing through chemical treatment processing for the wheel rim blank.Machining through mill, turning or grinding carry out.

European patent has disclosed a kind of wheel rim production technology No. 0579525, according to this technology extrusion be curled and Cutting Length and engagement end portion to form the wheel rim blank.Through machining this wheel rim blank is processed to form two relative brake surfaces from two relative side then.This processing is carried out through turning or with cutter.

Dark V-arrangement cross section wheel rim or air wheel rim produce the particular structural challenge.When linear extrusion was bent in crimp operation, quite depth and thin sidewall must be able to not twist.Therefore, it is non-warping to pass through crimp operation that dark V-arrangement cross section wheel rim has enough thick sidewall, the meaning be exactly they in fact than them in that bear pressure as the time spent needed thick.Therefore, have with the associated weight loss of the dark V-arrangement cross section air wheel rim of producing with this method and, because this weight is near the outside or outside of wheel, it has reduced the rotary inertia characteristic of wheel.

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides a kind of dark V-arrangement cross section air wheel rim and manufacturing approach thereof that is used for the wheel of tensioning spoke.This wheel rim is through being squeezed into suitable aluminium the wheel rim profile of the cross sectional shape that requires, and comprises that depth, thin sidewalls and " tab curls " material are bonded on the wheel rim profile, and it preferably is connected the inside part of wheel rim profile through thin neck.Curling then extrusion is perhaps on traditional crimping device or with the device that is designed to directly on curling tab, draw.Non-warping owing to be bonded on the influencing that sidewall can bear desired bending of additional tab material or curling tab on the wheel rim profile.Subsequently additional tab material being fractureed or acting on the thin neck through pinch roll removes, and said thin neck is provided so that be easy to remove, perhaps through other common cutting method.Additional tab material or curling tab can or remove later on before extrusion cutting of curling and end are engaged with traditional approach formation wheel rim.

Correspondingly, the purpose of this invention is to provide a kind of improved wheel rim that is used for bicycle wheel.

Another object of the present invention provides a kind of simple and good method of cost benefit of improving wheel rim that is used to produce.

Another object of the present invention provides a kind of wheel rim, and the sidewall thickness that this wheel rim has is less than the curling desired thickness of the extrusion that will have the wheel rim cross sectional shape.

Another object of the present invention provides a kind of wheel rim, and this wheel rim has extruding and the desired sidewall thickness that curls, and need after curling, not reduce sidewall thickness.

Another object of the present invention provides the method for a kind of curling depth cross section wheel rim, and this method does not apply harmful active force at crimping hook place to wheel rim profile top.

The technical staff in present technique field will from content disclosed here, understand of the present invention these with other purpose and advantage.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the sectional view of linear extrusion, comprises the curling tab of air wheel rim according to the present invention that is used to produce.

Fig. 2 is the sectional view of the finished product air wheel rim according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is the side view that is used for extrusion is curled into traditional wheel rim crimping device of wheel rim performing member.

Fig. 4 is the side view of wheel rim crimping device, and this device has carried out improving to produce according to streamlined wheel rim of the present invention according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is the end face diagrammatic sketch of cylinder, and it is the part of Fig. 4 device, and is used for meshing and putting in the air wheel rim performing member process in the device that forms Fig. 4 that curls of extrusion the curling tab of linear extrusion.

The specific embodiment

Referring to Fig. 1, the linear extrusion that label 10 is pointed out comprises brake surface 14 that wheel rim base plate or spoke base 12, two are relative and the two relative sidewalls 16 that between spoke base 12 and brake surface 14, extend.Laterally edge 18 extends between two tops of extrusion 10, near brake surface 14.Tyre bead 20 extends upward and ends at bead hook 22 from horizontal edge 18.The tab 24 that curls is bonded on the spoke base 12 through thin neck 26.Be positioned at neutral flexural center apart from the line 28 expression extrusions 10 of the distance of spoke base 12 bottom L1; That is, when one section extrusion 10 being processed by typical wheel rim alloy is curled into wheel-rim shape, line 28 and horizontal part pressurized under tension force of the sidewall 16 between the edge 18, and be compressed away from horizontal those sidewall sections of edge 18 more and stand distortion.Sidewall 16 (like what push) has the thickness of finished product wheel rim requirement.Neutral flexural center on the line 28 is enough near so that sidewall 16 has enough thickness to prevent owing to the pressure that in traditional crimping device crimped process, stands twists apart from spoke base 12.The position of the neutral flexural center that line 28 is pointed out depends on the geometry of extrusion 10, from the material of its pressurization and the thickness of extrusion 10 parts.The tab 24 that curls is parts of the geometry of extrusion 10.

After the extrusion 10 of Fig. 1 curled, the tab 24 that curls separated from spoke base 12 at neck 26 places, and to produce the spoke base 30 (Fig. 2) of finished product wheel rim 32, it has the sidewall 34 that between brake surface 36 and spoke base 30, extends.The neutral flexural center of wheel rim 32 shows that by line 38 it is apart from the distance L 2 of the bottom of spoke base 30.Distance L 2 among Fig. 2 is greater than the distance L among Fig. 11.The length of the sidewall 16 that the length of the sidewalls 34 that extend below online 38 extends below greater than the line 28 at Fig. 1.The extrusion that wheel rim 32 can not have the wheel-rim shape cross section through curling forms, because the part between sidewall 34 online 38 and the spoke base 30 will be twisted.The neutral flexural center of waiting to be curled into the extrusion of new profile is zero bending stress line.After extrusion curls, extrusion online with the outside or above part suffer tensile stress and extrusion online below or inboard part suffer compression.The distortion fault occurs over just compression and does not occur under the tension force down.The distortion fault takes place during under relatively high pressure contracts load and away from any support member in thin cross section.

The tab 24 (Fig. 1) that curls has enough size and dimensions to reduce the neutral flexural center of extrusion 10; From this; Do not have tab 24, as shown in Figure 2 by apart from the position shown in the line 38 of spoke base 30 distance L 2, to shown in Figure 1 by lower position apart from the line 28 of spoke base 12 distance L 1.According to the present invention, distance L 1 must be enough short so that sidewall 16 is non-warping in curly course.Distance from spoke base 12 to neutral flexural center can be regulated through the size and dimension that changes the tab 24 that curls, and it is bonded on the spoke base 12 through neck 26, and said neck enough approaches so that extrusion is easy to remove after curling.Might use pinch roller to remove tab 24 at neck 26, its must be enough thick in the bending of wheel rim or curly course, not fracture, also enough approach being easy to and remove.

Also have other method to connect and curl tab to extrusion, and also have other method to remove tab.Curling tab can through thick neck connect and then processing remove or connect and fracture then in indent.There are a lot of other methods to remove the material below the spoke base, as conspicuous to the technical staff in present technique field.Usually, the practicality of machining is depended in the selection of method, and various economically consideration.

Referring to Fig. 3, traditional wheel rim crimping device is applicable to the extrusion 10 that curls, and this device comprises roller 40, roller 42 and shape roller 44.One section linear wheel rim extrusion 10 is circular in device crimped shown in Figure 3; Bottom and the

roller

42 and 44 that promotes ground engagement pressing means 10 when roller 44 (receiving power drive) overwhelm on extrusion 10 and; Specifically, on crimping hook 22, cause that extrusion centers on 44 bendings of shape roller; Shown in label 46, to form the curvature that requires shown in the label 48.After extrusion 10 forms circle, be cut to desired length then and remove curling tab, although the tab that curls can remove before extrusion 10 cuttings.According to finding, after curling tab removes, the curvature of the extrusion that curls will change so that the extrusion that curls bigger diameter when after removing curling tab, having than curling tab connection.Best, when pressing means curls, it is taken into account so that after removing the tab that curls the curvature of extrusion be desired curvature.The cut end of curling extrusion connects through any suitable manner then, connects, sells connection, welding or the like like plug, with formation wheel rim blank.Be to be understood that the extrusion 10 that is used to form dark cross section air wheel rim, comparing with the extrusion that for example is used to form shallow box cross section wheel rim needs more bending force with its bending.The extrusion 10 that has the tab 24 that curls is compared the more bending force of needs with its bending with traditional not extrusion of curling tab 24, is used to form dark cross section air wheel rim.Need extra power curling, when extruding on legacy equipment, possibly damage the globality of extrusion 10 according to the extrusion 10 that comprises the tab that curls of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 4 and 5, the use of the improved wheel rim crimping device of usually being pointed out by label 50 will be in following description to curl extrusion 10.Device 50 comprises a pair of roller 52, a pair of roller 54 and the shape roller 56 between two pair of rollers 52 and 54.

Roller

52 and 54, as shown in Figure 5, the cross section is the rectangular parallelepiped protrusion part at right angle.The upper limb 58 of roller 52 extends into the neck 26 of the tab 24 that curls, and the inclined side 60 same engagements of roller 52 are formed on the inclined surface 62 on the tab 24 that curls.The shape of roller 54 is identical with roller 52.The leading end deflection that roller 64 operationally makes extrusion 10 towards roller 54 between the inclined surface of roller 54 and curling tab 24, to mesh, because shape roller 56 drives extrusions 10 through device 50.When the inclined surface 62 of roller 54 and curling tab 24 fully meshes, extrusion 10 is pulled out from roller 64.Because shape roller 56 drives the extrusion 10 that has the tab 24 that curls; Engagement between the

roller

52 and 54 will cause extrusion from the shape roller 56 through out-of-date bending, as label 66 is pointed, thus it is formed desired circle with requirement curvature 68; It maybe; As noted before, be littler than final desired wheel rim blank radius of curvature, because will removing the back at curling tab 24 probably, radius of curvature increases.Wheel rim crimping device 50 advantageous particularlies because the power of desired crooked extrusion 10 be applied to extrusion 10 the bottom and, especially, be applied on the tab 24 that curls (Fig. 5).Device 50 makes extrusion 10 to curl and the danger that not have to be out of shape, especially, does not have the distortion of crimping hook 22.

Extrusion 10 formed circle on device 50 after, tab 24 removed with curling and the remainder of extrusion 10 is cut into desired length.If requirement can be cut extrusion and the neck that links to each other 26 before removing the tab 24 that curls.The cut end of the extrusion that curls connects through suitable method, connects, sells connection, welding or the like like plug, to form the wheel rim blank.

In order to compare, but not consistent with the present invention, the extrusion of contrast is similar to extrusion 10 formation and does not have curling tab 24 and the neck that links to each other 26 except it.The extrusion of contrast is admitted to traditional wheel rim crimping device view from the curling wheel rim of extrusion.Except forming wheel rim, the wheel rim crimping device causes the distortion of extrusion sidewall, near sidewall and spoke base joint.

Be to be understood that; Can carry out various variations and change to the device of above disclosure and not depart from Rights attached thereto requiring the scope of the present invention and the spirit that are limited; And in its substantive details; The present invention is a kind of method that is used for the bicycle wheel wheel rim that is used to make; It may further comprise the steps: the body of extruding thin-walled, hollow, this body have the wheel rim cross sectional shape produced and the outside tab that integrates with extrusion body, with the part of pressing means be curled into circle, with circular portion from the extrusion cutting, be connected the free end of circular portion and remove outside tab from the circular portion of extrusion.Best; It will apply too big pressure to extrusion only if extrusion curls on traditional crimping device; In this case; Extrusion can curl comprising on the device of at least two rollers, said roller respectively be engaged on the tab at least one surface and when pressing means through the shape roller between two rollers on the time force its bending.

The wall of hollow body is enough dark and enough thin; So that do not have one section of ducted body of outside tab to be easy to distortion when producing wheel rim curling into, so tab is arranged to and is sized to the hollow body that has whole outside tab and is not easy to distortion when being shaped curling.

Best, tab is connected with extrusion through thin neck, before the free end of pressing means connects, removes, and forms and be used to curl into the engagement of the roller of wheel rim.

Claims

1. a production is used for the method for the wheel rim of bicycle wheel, said method comprising the steps of:

The body of extruding thin-walled, hollow; This body have with the corresponding cross sectional shape of cross sectional shape of wheel rim to be produced and with the outside tab of body one; Said cross sectional shape comprises wheel rim base plate, two sidewalls and the horizontal edge relative with said wheel rim base plate; The wall of said body is enough thin; So that the one section body that does not have an outside tab stands distortion when producing wheel rim curling to be shaped, the position of said outside tab and size process make the outside tab that has one body when curling shaping without undergoing distortion

The part of body is curled into circular portion,

Circular portion is cut down from body, and

The free end that connects circular portion,

It is characterized in that,

This outside tab dangles and extends and leave said body from said wheel rim base plate; Attached have the neutral flexural center of the said body of said outside tab not have the neutral flexural center of the said body of said outside tab more to be close to said wheel rim base plate than attached; After said curling step, remove said outside tab from said wheel rim base plate.

2. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, before the free end that connects said circular portion, the said circular portion of said outside tab from said body is removed.

3. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, said outside tab is through thin neck and said body engagement, so that said tab is easy to remove.

4. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, the part of said outside tab forms and the roller engagement that is used to curl into said wheel rim.

5. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, said outside tab removed before the step that said circular portion is cut down from said body.

6. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that, said outside tab is removing said circular portion after the step that said body cuts down.